1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-cylinder engine for a motorcycle, including a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinder bores arranged in the width direction of a body frame, a cylinder head connected to the cylinder block with combustion chambers formed between pistons slidably fitted in the cylinder bores and the cylinder head, intake valves and exhaust valves provided in the cylinder head for each of the combustion chambers, a hydraulic valve resting mechanism capable of resting, in a specific operational region, at least one of the intake valves and the exhaust valves, and a hydraulic control valve mounted on the cylinder head for controlling the hydraulic pressure of working oil supplied to the valve resting mechanism.
2. Description of Background Art
A multi-cylinder engine in which a hydraulic control valve for controlling the hydraulic pressure of working oil supplied to a valve resting mechanism is mounted in a cylinder head has been known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-34563.
In a motorcycle in which a multi-clinder engine is mounted on a body frame in such a manner that a plurality of cylinder bores provided in a cylinder block are arranged along the width direction of the body frame, it is expected that the length of the multi-cylinder engine along the arrangement direction of the cylinder bores, that is, along the width direction of the body frame is made as short as possible. In the multi-cylinder engine disclosed in the above document. However, the hydraulic control valve is mounted on the cylinder head on one end side along the arrangement direction of the cylinder bores, and accordingly, if such an engine is applied to a motorcycle, it is required to ensure a space in which the hydraulic control valve is disposed in the width direction of the body frame, so that it is difficult to shorten the length of the multi-cylinder cylinder engine along the width direction of the body frame.